Vacuum-lifter.



UNITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.l

VACUUM-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,499, dated J une 14, 1904.

Application filed February 16, 1904. Serial No. 193,887. (No modem .To rtl/Z whom it may cm1/cern,.-

Be it known that I., JOHN Howann SPRAGUE,

a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of Seattle, county of King, State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum- Lifters, of which the following is a specilica tion. I

My invention relates to. improvements in vacuum-lifters, and has special reference to a device of this class which is especially useful in handling plate-glass. v

.Among numerous objects attained by 'this invention and readilyunderstood 'from the followingspecilication and accompanying' drawings, included as apart thereof, is the production of a simplilied and eliicient vacuum lifting device embodying essential features of adaptability, utility, and general' efficiency which facilitate the application of the device for lifting and sustaining plates of glass and insure a positive exhaust of the air from the cup and a secure hold of the lifter on the glass. The above-mentioned and other desirable objects are attained by the constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as disclosed on the drawings, set forth in this spociiication, and succinctly pointed out in the appended. claims.. I lV ith reference to the drawings filed herewith and bearing like reference characters for corresponding parts throughout, Figure 1 is a View of the lifter shown in partial vertical section. Fig. Q is a fragmentary view of the lifter viewed from the left of Fig. 1, and Fig.

3 is a plan view of the lifter on reduced scale.

This invention includes a` vacuum-cup, as 10,A which is composed of plate metal and pref'- erably formed substantially dislrshaped and comparatively shallow, and at the open side of this cup the rim thereof is thickened at the edge, and a continuous groove 11 is formed in this edge as the seat for a packing 12, consisting of an endless strip of flexible material of somewhat resilient nature, as leather, rub ber, or the like. This grooveli is somewhat restricted in width at the mouth, so'as to better retain the packing-strip when seated therein, and this strip is formed'somewhat thicker than the depth of the groove, so as to project I. o beyond the edg'eof theV rim of the cup, and in the outer surface or face of this packing-strip is a continuous groove 9, which insures a more h perfect air-tight seating of the packing on the glass plate. AAt the center of the cup is a distance-piece 10, which is adapted to supportthe glass plate against exterior air-pressure when the lifter is applied. This distance-piece con sists of a lug equal in height to the depth of the cup and formed on the head thereof, and along the edge of the end `of this lug a groove 11' is formed of the same shape as groove 11, and seated in this groove is a section of packing 12', similar in form to packing 12.

Mounted on cuplO,,substantially parallel with the .face thereof, is a hollow handle, through which the air is exhausted from the cup and which conveniently consists of a cylinder 14, comprising a tubular barrel portion 14; of suitable length to provide a handhold and suitable heads, as 15 and 16, conveniently secured to opposite ends of the barrel. This cylinder is mounted on suitable opposite stands, as 17 and 1"', which are' preferably formed integral with the head of the cup 10 and have corresponding .eyes 16' at the outer ends of suitable diameter of bore, toA receive the yend portions of the cylinder-barrel 14 snugly, and these stands are of suitable height to support said cylinder clear of the head of the cup, so that it can be grasped inthe hand between said stands and used as a handle to-- manipulate the lifter.

' Fitting in cylinder 14 ,is a plunger 19,' to.l

which a suitable rod 18 is attached, and this rod projects through a suitable aperture in head 15 andhas a cross-bar 1 8', conveniently` mounted thereon atthe outer end as a' handle for operating the plunger to exhaust the air from the cup through the cylinder. The cup and cylinder are conveniently connected by an exhaust-passage, as 20, preferably formed in the stand 17 and leading to the cylinder adjacent head 16, and this passage is made with a lateral oisetto conveniently provide a seat, as 21, at one end of the lateral portion of the passage for a stop-valve 22, byfmeans of which this passage is positively closed after the air is exhausted from the cup. This stop-valve consists of a thumb-screw tapered at .the point the passage.

Lending from the bore oi Cylinder ifi; en

` exterior nir-pression when the lii'ter is :ip-

:Lir-diseherge. passage 23, preferably formed in the head i6, and in this pnesnge is loer ted asuitable outwardly-openingcheek-vulve non-- veniently consisting' ot' e sent Q3', counterboring; the outer end ot' snid penissen?, n ball 24, littingin seid eounterhore, :i bushing 25, secured in the eounterl'ore, und coil-spring 26, eonlined by .seid bushing' und yielding'ly pressing seid bell sgninstsnid sent. In the exhaust-passage 2o n suimble eheeh- Valve is preferably located `whieh opens re- .sponsive to suction in the cylinder end eon veniently consists of bushingl, secured in a eoui'iterbore forme( et the eup end ol seid passage, :L bell 24' et the inner end ot' seid bushing, and an open coil-spring 2/ between said bell nucl-the inner end oi" snid eounterlnn'e and yieldingly pressing' seid ball against sind bushing'.

Leading to cup 10 is an sir-induetmn psssage 27, preferably formed in the bese end et sta-nd 17, and this passage iseontrolled by e suitnblestop-Valve 28, Conveniently Consisting of n thumb-screw tapered at the point :rnd litting in a, serew-thrended counter-bore formed et the outer end of snid passage and tapered at the inner end. to Correspond to said serewpoint, so that the said screw een be mnnipu lated to seat the point thereof against suid tnpered portion ot' the eounterbore, und thereby positively close the induetion-imssnee.

These litters are especially useful for set* ting plates ot glnss in wiinlow-irnines or the like, es they een be rendi ynpplied in nny desired multiplicity to the piste :is hzuulholds nt the desired points, it beinga simply necessary to apply eneh lifter by holding` it with the open side of the cup opposed to the plete and the pecking-strip l2 pressi ng against sume and then operating the plunger of the pump to exhaust the air from the eup through psssage 20, after which thestopwelve 22 iselosed to prevent any chance of leakage of nir to the cup through passage 20. Vlfhen desired to release the lifter from the plete, it is simply necessary to open the iruluetionwnlve 2n to ullow air to enter 'the ehsn'iher of the cup through passage 27.

This lifter is simple o1'l eonstruetion :nid operation and positive in action, :ind hy errang- 'ing the punip-eylinder parallel with the face of the cup ns ehundle the grip oi the hund is brought close to the object to be lifted, :md the Chances ot' wrenching' the litter loose nre thereby reduced to n minimum, while the packing-strip about the rin: of the enp pie vents ingress oi' sir, and thedistance-piece insures the platte olI glass from being' broken by formed by i en open i plied.

ilnringr thus described my invention, whnt l clznm :t ners, und desire to .secure by l,e,tters lnhnt of the lmted hitutes oll funernu,

i. ln n rzufuum-lit'ter; the combination ol' :i Cup :md n. pechino-strip :trrnne'ed along' the edgeotthe rim oi' seid cupnnd huringwi groove in the fuee.

2. ln n veelzum-lifter, :t eup, :i hollou` lil'ting-handle ntinched to seid cup subslnntiully purullel with the hice thereoll :ind connected wilh :tn en'hnust-pnssngc lending' therefrom.l :t Vulre for sfiid pass-ugo, und menus to erento :1

nftion in seid handle,

3. Vln u rucluun-lil'ter, :i cup, :i hollow lil'tine-lmndle uttnehed thereto und connected with un exhnust-pnssne'e lending' therefrom, it check-valve in seid pussue'e, :i stop-telve l'or said pussnee, :ind menus to croute 'n suction iu seid hundle.

it, ln n vueinnn-lil'l'er. n rup. u lifting-hundle utteehed thereto :ind comprising' n pump cylinder connected with :in exhmlst-pussne'e lendingr therel'ron., n checlvrulve in suid pus snee, n stopwnlre lor szlid pnssuge, und :i phun ,eer iittiue' in seid cyliinler.

5. .ln :t vucnum-lil'te'r, u eup, :t lifting-lune dle attached thereto und comprising u pumpcylinder having :i disehnreepnssng :ind nrranged substuntinlly pnrzlllel with the hnze ol: seid cup :md connected with :tn exhuust-pus salgo lending' therefrom, :i Cheek-vulve in suid disellarge-pussnge, e. i'ulvo controllingsnid exlniust-pnssnge, :nid :i plunger littine in suid cylinder.

6. ln u Vacuum-litter, :t eup haring' un induction-passage, et vulve therefor, u liftinghzindle attached to snid cup :md comprisingv :t punip-eylinderharing':Ldischeree-passageund eoi'nieeted with un wdunxst-pnssnge lendingr from seid cup, eluelr-vnlves in said disehure'e nndexhnust pnsszie'es, n stop-vulve l'or theexhsust-pnssnge, und :i plunger litting in snid ey li nd er.

7. ln n vacuum-lifter, u cup haring` :in indiietioinpnssege, n. vulve therefor, opposite stands on the houd oi seid oup, :i lifting-hundle Comprising :i pump-cylinder mounted on seid stands und huvinezid iscllarge-passoire und connected with :in exhnnst-passage leudiniiv Afrom snid cup, cheek-vulves in snid disehnree und exhuustpnssnges, :t stopwnlve Ior the exheust-pnssuge, und :i pl une'er littine' in sud eylinder.

8. ln :i vzuzuinn-liiter, :t cup lntvilnf :in iudnetion-passage :t vztlve therefor, n hollow liltirighmnllo uttnehed to sztid cup nud conneeted with un exlniusupnssnee lending` therefrom, :i vulve in snid e lntust1nlssuee, und :i ineens to (frente n suction in suid lnnidle.

S'. ln :i rneuum-lil'ter, :t cup haring.;` nn iuduction-passage, n vulve therefor, opposite stunds zittnched to snid cup und fine ol' snid IOO ', stands [irovided with an exhaust-passage lead- ,passages, a stopvalve for the exhaust-passage, and a plunger fitting in said cylinder. 10. In a vacuum-lifter, the combination with a eu'p, of a distance-piece located Within d the clip and adapted to supportl the object lifted against exterior pressure.

i in a: vacuum liftenthe combinationl with a cup, of a distance-piece within said cup comprising a l'u'g attached tothe hedof said I5 cup and haying' one surface Hush with the edge of the rimf of said cup. Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 9th day of February, 1904.

JOHN 'f HOWARD' SPRAGUE, 4 M'Titnesses:

' 'ERNESTl B. HERALD,

Y' ROBERT' U; CULBERS'ON." 

